The Art of Falling
by SeaBreeze
Summary: Misao works as brilliant inventor Kenshin's research assistant, and Soujiro as his butler. Soujiro has a dark past and Misao, a bright future. Spending so much time together means feelings develop, and neither is sure how to proceed.


**_Misao_**

Misao Makimachi had the feeling that something obvious was missing from the invention she was working on, and that it was something right in front of her.

"Figured it out yet?" Kenshin Himura, her brilliant boss and mentor, asked dryly.

"Hold on, give me—" Misao bit her lip and ran her eyes over her workstation. Tool, tool, extra spring, pile of screws, and—"the cap!"

"Very good," Kenshin said, and she flapped her hand in his direction as she screwed the cap in place. "It would've worked for maybe thirty seconds without the cap."

"Yeah, well, find another genius willing to work overtime and maybe this won't happen." With the cap screwed tightly on the little machine, it immediately buzzed to life in her hands.

Kenshin clapped her on the back. "I wouldn't trade you for anyone, even if I could find somebody willing to put in the hours you do. Now, to make it quieter…" He turned to his own work station, already focused on the next logical step of making the little machine run silently.

"I'm going to get something from the kitchen. Want anything? Water? Coffee?"

"A tea…" Kenshin said, with so little attention that Misao knew he wouldn't care what kind of tea she brought him.

"'Kay," Misao said, shoving her goggles onto the top of her head.

When she pushed open the basement door, a hard bang and a soft "oof!" came from the other side.

"Soujiro! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Don't worry, Miss Misao." Soujiro Seta, Kenshin's live-in butler said, opening the door carefully. With his free hand he rubbed his forehead, where Misao could see a red mark from the door she had swung into his face.

"Are you kidding me? I practically bashed your brains in! Let me take a look." She grabbed his face despite his protestations and pulled his forehead down to her eye level. She gave a low whistle. "That's gonna leave a mark."

"It's fine, I shouldn't have been hovering out here. I didn't want to interrupt any delicate work."

"Did you damage my butler?!" Kenshin called from his workstation.

"I'm fine!" Soujiro called, just as Misao yelled "He's not your property!"

Misao grinned at him and his cheeks flushed, though that may have been from the head injury. "Seriously, are you okay? Can I get you an ice pack or something?"

"No, really, I'm fine. I just came down here for the dirty towels." Soujiro gave Misao his catch-all grin, the one that always looked to her like he had just eaten a yummy dumpling, or maybe that he was trying to convince you that everything was just fine.

Misao put her hands on her hips. "Humor me. I'm going to grab you some ice. Will you sit down and put it on your head for a few minutes?"

"If it will make you feel better."

"It will."

Misao raised her eyebrows in a challenge, and Soujiro only continued to beam at her. _Weirdo,_ she thought affectionately.

"Alright, then."

"Alright," Misao said, and passed him on her way up the stairs.

When she returned five minutes later with tea for Kenshin, a crude handmade ice pack and aspirin for Soujiro, and milk and cookies for herself, she heard Kenshin talking to Soujiro.

"You can't just let her do that to you, make you—"

"Hey!" Misao cut in, and Soujiro whipped around to face her, the smile frozen on his face. "It was an accident! It's not like I beat him up on a regular basis!"

"Oh, sure," Kenshin said, not looking up from his work. "It's totally out of character for you to storm into and out of rooms suddenly."

"Shut up!" Misao said, setting his tea cup on his desk before turning to Soujiro. "Here. I just wrapped some ice in a kitchen towel, but it should help with the swelling." She didn't wait for him to respond, but placed the pack gently on his forehead.

"Thank you, Miss Misao." Soujiro said.

Misao pulled out the aspirin and handed it to him. "Shoot, I forgot to get you a drink. Here, take this with my milk."

Dutifully, Soujiro took the pill and Misao's milk, popped the pill into his mouth, and took a swallow of Misao's milk.

Kenshin made a suspiciously judgmental noise from his station.

"Hey! Do me a favor and mind your business!" Misao said loudly.

"He's a grown man, Misao. No need for you to take care of him like an injured puppy."

If Soujiro was offended by being referred to as Misao's puppy, he didn't show it.

"It's fine," Soujiro said. "Nothing to bicker about."

"I get my best work done when we're bickering," Kenshin said.

Misao glared at him. "What if he's concussed?! What if you slammed a door on my head, wouldn't you try and make up for it?"

Kenshin sipped his tea. "I'd let you deal with it. Like an adult."

"Huh! Well, if you wouldn't help me, I'm sure Sou here would, wouldn't you?" Misao beamed at Soujiro. She liked flirting with him—just a little—on occasion. He got so flustered, she couldn't help herself.

"Of… of course I would, Miss Misao!" Soujiro stuttered.

"How _gallant,_ " Misao said. Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I've got to go. The washing machine is broken at the apartment, so I need to get my laundry to the laundromat before they close."

"Alright," Kenshin said, clearly no longer paying attention.

"Keep that ice on for another ten minutes," Misao said, pointing a finger at Soujiro like he might possibly not obey her directions. When he nodded, she patted him on the elbow and left.

 ** _Soujiro_**

As soon as the door closed behind Misao, Kenshin swung around and levelled Soujiro with a look of disgust. "Soujiro. Come. On."

"What?" Soujiro asked.

"The least you could do is _not_ act like her bludgeoning you is the greatest thing that's happened to you today."

"My head hurts. I'm not happy about it."

Kenshin pointed his pen at Soujiro. "Liar. You're smiling."

"I always smile," Soujiro said with a smile.

"Not like this. This is what I call the _Misao Smile."_

Soujiro made the choice to ignore this comment. "Where are the towels?"

"In the basket. Look, Soujiro, I'm not saying it's a bad thing to like a girl. I'm just saying, if you like her, why not admit it? Act on it? Otherwise how will anything change?"

Soujiro hopped off the table and headed for the hamper for dirty towels, aprons, and gloves. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kenshin scoffed. "Of course not."

"Why are you so keen on getting us together, anyway? She's like your little sister. You want her with an ex-thug?"

Kenshin looked up sharply. "Soujiro—"

Soujiro held up his hands and smiled. "You know it's true."

"Soujiro." Kenshin sighed. "Our pasts don't define us."

"If it weren't for my past, maybe I could've been one of your research assistants instead of a manservant." Soujiro beamed, especially brightly to show how unbothered by this he was. "Not that I'm complaining, of course, I'm just saying."

Kenshin watched his employee and friend for a long time, violet eyes serious. Finally, he spoke. "You know I'd sponsor you to go back to school. You could work here and study in your free time."

Soujiro laughed. "I'd never be able to dig myself out of your debt."

"Soujiro, you don't have any—this job is not a handout!"

"Any decent job is a handout to someone who's been in juvenile detention." Soujiro said. His smile could not hide the hardness of the truth in his words. "It's amazing, and it's entirely thanks to you, that I'm not back in with gangs again. And not only do I have a job, but I have friends, and a safe place to live." Soujiro jerked his head towards his bedroom on the opposite side of the basement.

"If anyone knows people can change, it's me," Kenshin said tiredly. As respectable as a scientist as he was, Soujiro knew Kenshin had done morally questionable research as a grad student, and that he lived with that guilt daily.

"I know," Soujiro said. "That's why I accepted your help. I'm very grateful, as I said. But I also know where I came from, and that I'm nobody's idea of an ideal boyfriend."

"Well," Kenshin said, crossing his arms. "I'll just have to disagree. You're kind and smart and trustworthy and…optimistic…and none of that is diminished because you have a troubled past."

Soujiro beamed. "Thank you! But I'm not interested in dating right now."

Kenshin shook his head. "Alright, alright. Enough. For now."

Just when Soujiro had relaxed, glad the discussion was over, Kenshin cleared his throat.

"She'll forgive you, you know."

* * *

Author's Note: I haven't written fanfiction in at least five years, but this story won't leave me alone. It started as a subplot in another one of my unfinished stories started in 2009, Greater than Gravity. I abandoned that story, but that story's Soujiro and Misao stuck with me all this time. I love writing it, and I hope you like it!


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